My new variety of hybrid lily plant originated as a seedling selected from a group of seedlings at Julianadorp, the Netherlands. The seedlings were planted as a result of breeding efforts carried on by me since 1976; the final cross that produced my new variety, which I call Antarcitica, was made in 1982. The breeding efforts had as their objective the production of truly white upright Asiatic lilies with a high bud count, well suited to forcing for cut-flower production out of season, heretofore unknown in the lily breeding art.
I achieved the desired objective by extensive interpollinations among many hybrid lily cultivars.
The flowers of my new lily are characterized by an upright orientation, true white color, slight flush of green at the nectaries, and a narrow ring of tiny deep magenta spots in the center of the flower, unique in Asiatic hybrid lilies. In addition, my new variety possesses to a high degree the desirable characteristics of hybrid vigor, hardiness, and disease resistance. My new variety also possesses the desired characteristics of excellence of form, color, and habit. The flowers of my new variety are of large size and are produced on a single stalk. My Antarctica variety is vigorous and a good grower and propagator, as observed at Julianadorp, the Netherlands, and at Woodland, Wash.
My new variety is also well suited to forcing out of season when the bulbs are dug at the appropriate time and properly precooled.
My new variety of lily plant has been asexually reproduced by me and under my direction at Julianadorp, the Netherlands and at Woodland, Wash. Successive generations produced by bulb scale propagation and by natural propagation from bulblets have demonstrated that the novel and distinctive characteristics of my new variety are fixed and hold true under asexual propagation from generation to generation.